Eagles two wins away from outright finals entry
Games on Wednesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 10:30 a.m. – National University vs University of the Philippines 12:30 p.m. – Adamson University vs Far Eastern University 4 p.m. – De La Salle University vs University of Santo Tomas
Unblemished Ateneo soared closer to an outright finals entry after kicking UE out of contention, 84-50, in the 82nd UAAP men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
The Eagles took a quick 17-8 first-quarter flight which they stretched to a commanding 4025 halftime cushion en route to the blowout win that pushed them to within two wins of a double-round prelims sweep.
After a quiet season, Isaac Go finally broke out of his shell with 13 points and three boards spiked by three triples in just 15 minutes of action off the bench as Ateneo further bolstered its goal to cop a third straight UAAP title.
Ateneo has NU and UP as its last two hurdles to gain an automatic ticket to the finals, leaving the remaining contending teams in Santo Tomas, UP, FEU, DLSU and Adamson in a tight playoff scramble.
Ange Kouame (11) and skipper Thirdy Ravena (11) were steady in scoring while Adrian Wong and SJ Belangel posted nine each for the Blue Eagles who even led by as many as 37 points.
“It was a very solid performance. It’s great to have players who work hard for some meaningful minutes. I’m very proud with the win and really happy with the way we played,” said coach Tab Baldwin.
Later, Kobe Paras pumped in 21 points, five rebounds, two assists and three blocks as UP fashioned out another come-from-behind win over Adamson, 81-77, to regain the No. 2 spot from Santo Tomas (7-5) with a 7-4 slate.
Jun Manzo (17), Juan Gomez De Liano (15) and Bright Akhuetie (12) shared the load with Paras while Val Chauca, Jerrick Ahanmisi and Simon Camacho checked in 19, 13 and 11 markers, respectively, for the Falcons. First Game Ateneo 84 -- Go 13, Kouame 11, Ravena 11, Belangel 9, Wong 9, Ma. Nieto 6, Tio 6, Chiu 4, Credo 4, Mamuyac 3, Mi. Nieto 3, Maagdenberg 2, Mallillin 2, Andrade 1, Daves 0, Navarro 0.
UE 50 -- Diakhite 15, Suerte 10, Abanto 6, Apacible 6, Camacho 3, Cruz 3, Antiporda 2, Pagsanjan 2, Tolentino 2, Manalang 1, Conner 0, Lorenzana 0, Mendoza 0, Natividad 0. Quarterscores: 17-8, 40-25, 65-35, 84-50 Second Game UP 81 – Paras 21, Manzo 17, Ju. Gomez de Liano 15, Akhuetie 12, Rivero 7, Ja. Gomez de Liano 5, Tungcab 3, Webb 1, Mantilla 0, Murrell 0, Prado 0, Spencer 0.
Adamson 77 – Chauca 19, Ahanmisi 13, Camacho 11, Lastimosa 9, Manlapaz 5, Douanga 4, Magbuhos 4, Fermin 3, Mojica 3, Sabandal 3, Yerro 3.
Quarterscores: 11-19, 36-37, 57-66, 81-77